Real Hogwarts Express Train Trips in Scotland Are Here!
All aboard, Harry Potter fans! The Hogwarts Express is back in service.
Beginning in April, the Jacobite steam train that was featured in the Harry Potter film series will be welcoming muggles for journeys through the Scottish countryside. The train, which will travel from the town of Fort William to Mallaig, will take fans of the magical world through familiar sites, including the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the dramatic bridge the train crosses on its way to Hogwarts castle.
However, guests won’t have to pass through platform 9 3/4 to board this train, which runs past both the deepest freshwater loch, Loch Morar, and the deepest seawater loch, Loch Nevis. Instead, they’ll board the iconic red and black steam engine at a station nearly 2 hours from Glasgow and 90 minutes from Inverness. It also seems to be a lot safer than the one Harry and friends took, as there are guaranteed to be no dementors terrorizing passengers.
Hagrid may not be waiting for travelers when they disembark, but before boarding in Fort William, fans of the movie can stop by the nearby town of Glencoe, which was used as the set for Hagrid’s hut, and is home to the bridge portrayed as the entrance to Hogwarts.
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Tickets for the 84-mile scenic journey start at $50 for adults and $28 for children through travel deals website TravelPirates. The train runs from April to October, with two rides per day that will depart starting in May. Guests can book one-way or round-trip tickets, which allow for an hour and a half of exploration in Mallaig before the journey back to Fort William.
For those that don’t want to travel abroad for the real-life Hogwarts Express experience, you can visit Universal Orlando Resort for a virtual experience. There fans can enter King’s Cross Station and pass through Platform 9 3/4 and board the train to take them to the other side of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter park.